My little lion
by Melancholy's Sunshine
Summary: Challenge! Leo attempts to take his life. It seems the fates have other plans for the little boy with a lion namesake
1. Chapter 1

Some heroes can't ever leave the conflict. Duty to serve overwhelm them. Many never ask for the right to serve. Some spend their entire lives trying to escape. For fewer, must go on longer.

Leo didn't know what to expect once his destiny of saving the Earth had come to an end and he freed Calypso. After everything, his friends believed him to be dead, and he set Calpyso free to see the world alongside the hunters of Artemis.

He didn't know what else to do. All alone in the world with Festus the dragon. Just him and the ever busy yet empty world around him.

With nothing before him, he inevitably landed at a Cyban coast line and stared at the pure, sparkling blue ocean. He let Festus explore the land as was in a dragon's nature as he continued to stare. With his dragon focused on the native life, Leo looked to the sky, then bowed his head, thinking a small prayer towards Posiedon, Hades and his father. It was short, to the point, and hopefully without intervention. Looking back at Festus longingly, he made his choice, and stepped off the cliff side. He gasped just before hitting the water instinctively, entering Posiedon's kingdom in an attempt to return to Hades' realm.

He could feel the cool grip of the nighttime water and the current against his abnormally warm body. His exhausted limbs began to seize as he instinctively fought to get air. With his lungs getting as close to burning as Leo felt gas leave his lungs I favor of anything they could get only to be assaulted from saltwater. His body felt like it was going limp as he welcomed returning to Hades. He was going to die a second time. Perhaps, he could see his mom this time.

...

Dying never really hurt. Itwas _surviving_ that hurt.

So even before his vision returned, his burning throat and lungs told him that he had failed in ending his life. He could feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes for a moment before drying up in exhaustion. He groaned and reached out for Festus, the only one who would save him. But instead of smooth metal, he felt warm skin.

"Hey, you awake? Mama! I think he's waking up!"

Leo groaned once again and opened a bleary brown eye. Everything was fuzzy for a moment. But as time went on his vision sharpened and Leo came face to face with an excited but concerned thin faced Latino boy with impossibly dark blue eyes.

"Hola. Glad to see you're awake," he said in a cheery but soft voice that made reminded Leo of his mother.

"Hey," Leo croaked out with a sore throat.

"Lance? How's he looking?" An older woman's voice cut threw the air.

"Better if had some of your famous soup mom," the boy- _Lance-_ complimented. Leo heard a chuckle as a larger and curvaceous woman walked into the room with a tray with a steaming bowl of what Leo assumed was soup and a glass of ice water. Leo felt a hand slip under him and a pillow placed behind to keep him upright. He felt Lance's hand on his shoulder and then on top of Leo's head with a light ruffle as the woman he assumed was Lance's mother.

"You're quite the charmer," the woman said with a chuckle. Leo felt his limp limbs try and get up to drink the water, only to find exhaustion had sapped him of all his energy.

Lance gave a worried smile and asked, "You want the water right?"

Leo tiredly nodded. What else could he even do?

"Mom!" A new voice broke in making Leo jump a little, shaking the tray slightly.

"What is it Marcela?"

"Damian and Luis are fighting ag- well hi there! Glad to see you awake!"

"Marcela? Damian and Luis?"

"Oh right. They were fighting and squashed the squash."

The woman sighed and muttered "Not again," under her breath as she left the room, no doubt to deal with the squash squishers with Marcela following behind. He then noticed Lance had grabbed his glass and held it up to his lips.

"Still thirsty right?"

Leo gave a sad and sheepish grin before allowing Lance to give him water. Once the glass was pulled away, Lance started to talk.

"We were real worried. When we saw you just floating in the water and all."

Leo didn't say anything as he realized that they had been the ones to drag him out of the water, not Festus.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I just came to Cuba looking for family," he lied. For some reason, a warmth blossomed in his heart like when he was working in a forge, "I figured that since I was here, I'd check out the ocean. Guess it was a little much for me," he gave a forced grin.

"No foolin? Heck, mom's got connections all over Cuba. What's your last name. We'll help you find them."

Leo felt his stomach drop. The last thing he wanted was to get connected to anyone when it was inevitable he would leave. Even if it was just the overly friendly blue eyed boy.

But then again... What was the harm? If he didn't let him help, he was sure they wouldn't leave him alone.

"Valdez. My name is Leo Valdez."

Both Lance and Leo could hear the front screen door open as two boys, young sounding at that, were pulled into the house by the back of their shirts, grumbled about how unfair their mom was being.

"Hey mom!"

"What Lance? I need to talk with your brothers about why it's a _bad_ idea to wrestle by the garden."

"You know any Valdezes? He's looking for family."

The woman walked to the doorway of the room and stared at Leo with both smaller boys still in her grasp.

"I do... But they moved away a long time ago."

"Oh," Leo said glad to have an out.

"Tell me kid, who was your mother?"

"Excuse me?"

"Humor an old woman won't you?"

"Mami! You aren't old. Why you are positively radiant," Lance gushed with a goofy and sarcastic smile.

"Thank you Lance. Now young one, what was your mother's name?"

"Esperanza," he said softly. The woman gasped, her grip loosened on the two boys but they made no move to run, now curious.

"Was... Was your grandfather named Samuel?"

"We called him Sammy," Leo blurted out.

"Oh my god... You're Espie's son."

"Mom?" Lance questioned.

"My cousin Esperanza, and her sister Rosa. You're _familia_."

Leo felt himself pale, then faint with the new information overwhelming him.

 **After defeating Gaia, Leo goes to explore the world, only to find himself meeting a spunky young man who wants to be a fighter pilot. Basically, Lance. They discover a shocking revelation that their mothers were cousins. Leo ends up sticking with Lance's family, and going to the Garrison, eventually being stuck in a blue lion and rocketing off to a new war... In space.**

 **Rule 1. Leo hasn't told anyone he's a demigod, nor of his fire power.**

 **Rule 2. He does not initially, if ever, get a lion.**

 **Rule 3. Leo does have at least one incident of combat.**


	2. Chapter 2

Lance stayed with the boy all night. His mother's cousin's son. That made him some kind of cousin right? He was going to call him a cousin. Cousin Leo. Little lion. He was rediculously small. Maybe five-two.

But there were features he noticed now that he had fainted again. A softness to a rather angular face, a small and slightly upturned nose. Slightly pointed ears. He looked like a shorter and more elvish version of himself. There were of course differences, such as despite Leo's darker skin, it was apparent he didn't spend a ton of time outside. His hair was greasy and he smelled of sweat and smoke despite his little "swim" in the ocean, where Lance prided himself on the fresh air and sea breeze that seemed to follow him no matter what he was doing.

Leo looked like he hadn't rested in weeks. Something Lance would never appear as with the care he gave his skin. But it concerned the taller boy anyway.

Dark bags under his eyes that not even Marcela's makeup could cover.

Just what had happened to his cousin? Well other then what he wasn't going to tell them.

Lance knew better. He had been heading to one of his favorite swimming spots when he saw Leo take his plunge. It took him a moment to realize what he had done, before running to and diving in after him.

He didn't know why his apparent cousin did it. But he wasn't going to ever let him do it again. None of them would.

Lance laced his fingers with Leo's feeling the obvious heat and his pulse strongly beating in his thin frame.

By all means though, he did not mean to fall asleep there.

He did not mind the pictures though. His mom was always spot on with family photos.

* * *

"Really, you don't have to do this," Leo said awkwardly, trying to keep a little space between himself and the rest of the family. Lance didn't miss a beat and threw his arm over Leo's shoulder in an over confident manner. Lance ignored the tenseness growing from Leo.

"Mi Leóncito! How could you think we would just let you miss a family photo?" Lance asked with exhuberent amounts of energy, " _Everyone_ is in the photo. That means you too."

"But I hardly know any of you-"

"Family is family Leo. And you're family. Now, act like you like us all and smile," Lance joked while pointing at the camera.

Leo gave a cocky grin of his own as the picture was snapped. Forever kept by a family he never knew he had.

It was the same picture Leo and Lance kept in their rooms at the Garrison.

How Lance had convinced Leo to go, no one quite knew. They guessed it was either a government facility or farm life.

But the smaller Latino had no trouble getting into the engineering program. He may have never been in the simulator, but Lance was sure that Leo just preferred ground control. He was rather fidgity at the best of times. Add him to a confined space? It would only tighten the chaos. That's what everyone said anyway.

Lance's roommate and quick good friend Hunk often mentioned how jealous he was of the smaller Latino. No barfing and all.

Then they had Pidge, who reminded him way too much of Piper.

A perfect little group...

Then came a comet like shuttle.

Of course, Leo had to go with Pidge, Hunk and Lance. And met the awkward self proclaimed Lance's rival, Keith. The mullet man.

So they may have also broke into a government like facility. And they may have kidnapped some famous-ish person from said facility. Actually it was a lot easier than fighting a war against a primordial goddess.

But he was more interested in his arm than the guy. The tech almost rivaled Leo's own father. Almost.

Leo thought he could do a bit better.

Not that he thought the guy would let him take an in depth look.

This Shiro fellow.

Altogether, Leo wasn't all too comfortable with how neatly, or how quickly chance seemed to bring the group together. Or perhaps... _Fate._ This couldn't end well.

This was only comfirmed when they discovered a giant mechanical blue lion. Even more so when Lance knocked and it dropped it's shields. Leo thought it was awesome. And it reminded him a bit too much of Festus.

Although, Festus never kidnapped him into freaking outer space for some insane war of the worlds that made Gaia's wake up seem like a picnic in the park. Yeah, he was in for it now.

Five lions. Two Alteans. Four mice. Five humans and one secret demigod acting like a complete human on a massive ship shaped like a castle. He almost snorted when he thought about how all too similar, this set up was to the war against Gaia. Except there had been a lot more sky and ocean and less space. And aliens. Lot more aliens. And lions. Couldn't forget the lions.

"This is all insane," Leo grumbled as they took off from the first planet that the blue lion had taken them to. Now, leaving after chaos from attacks and the reveal of Pidge being a chick.

He didn't even get a lion! Although, it was probably for the best. He had already sacrificed himself for one prophecy and had a mechanical dragon. He wasn't all to keen on doing it again.

But when when we're the Fates ever fair? At least he had some alien toys he could play with. His inner flame and forger were as giddy as a child in an amusement park. He bounced between the three familiar faces, not too sure what to make of Keith who Leo was sure Lance had a bit of an obsession with, and the one armed Shiro. Not to mention, Leo didn't have the best time with non humans. Well, with most people in general since his mother died but he liked to believe that that was beside the point.

He didn't adhere to Allura's request of not touching the intricate inner workings of the castle either. If Pidge could do it, so could he. Shame she didn't make for as interesting company. Not that he couldn't talk tech all the time, but her rightful obsession in finding her father and brother hit too close to his long left home.

Man he missed earth.

 **Little Leo... Still adoptable...**


End file.
